Twitter

Vale

Joint [Vale/union] investigation preferable in accidents – Editorial by Brian MacLeod (Sudbury Star – February 1, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The tragedy of death underground has revisited Sudbury in a manner that leaves all of us asking how this could happen again at a company that has more than 100 years of experience in mining.

Stephen Perry, 47, a 16-year miner at Vale, died at the 4,215-foot level at Coleman Mine in Levack on Sunday after he was struck by loose rock while he was working at a development heading.

The incident happened just days after Vale officials presented their findings about the deaths in June of two miners, Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram, after they were overcome by 350 tonnes of muck and sand while they were working at the 3,000-foot level of Stobie Mine.

Vale has suspended all five of its underground mining operations, affecting more than 1,500 workers, in order to come up with plans to ensure a safe working environment.

Read more

Mass for killed [Vale Sudbury] miner set for Friday – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – February 1, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A memorial mass will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Christ the King Church for Stephen Perry, who was killed Sunday afternoon on the job at Coleman Mine in Levack.

Perry was from Corner Brook, Nfld., but had worked with Inco and Vale for 16 years. Vale vice-president Kelly Strong called Perry a skilled and experienced miner who was respected by his colleagues. Family in Newfoundland said he was a kind and giving man, who would do anything to help someone in need.

Perry is survived by a daughter and several siblings.

Vale suspended operations at all five Sudbury mines after Perry was killed working on a piece of machinery to load blasting equipment to open up the 4,215-foot heading off the Coleman shaft in the main ore body.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour and Greater Sudbury Police Service have been at the site beginning their investigations. Vale and the union representing Perry, United Steelworkers Local 6500, will also conduct investigations.

Read more

Closed [Vale shuts down Sudbury’s underground operations after latest fatality]- by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 31, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale Ltd. has temporarily suspended operations at its five Sudbury mines as the company steps back, pauses and focuses on a plan to make its operations safer after an experienced miner was killed Sunday at Coleman Mine.

Kelly Strong, vice-president of mining and milling for Vale, said 1,550 miners are off the job, with pay, while Vale managers meet with the joint health and safety committee to devise an action plan before the mines are reopened.

Until that plan is drafted, Strong couldn’t predict when the mines would reopen. It’s the first time in the 11 years he has been with Vale that it has suspended operations at all mines after a fatality at one of them, he said.

Vale employs 400 production and maintenance workers at its Coleman and Stobie mines, 350 at Creighton Mine, and 200 at each of Garson and Copper Cliff mines.

Read more

Steelworker president angry over [Sudbury Vale mining] deaths – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 31, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The president of the union representing the miner killed Sunday at Coleman Mine was as angry Monday as he was sad that a member of United Steelworkers Local 6500 had been killed on the job.

While his union was expressing its heartfelt condolences to the miner’s family, Rick Bertrand was feeling mixed emotions, as were many of his members. “A big part of it is anger, (I’m) very angry,” Bertrand said Monday at the new Steelworkers’ Hall at 66 Brady St.

“Four fatalities in seven months is unacceptable … this has got to stop,” said Bertrand. Two Local 6500 members, Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed June 8 of last year at Stobie Mine.

Another Steelworker, a member of USW Local 6166 in Thompson, Man., died in October, 12 days after he fell down a mine shaft while operating a scoop tram. Greg Leason, 51, had 23 years with Inco and Vale.

Read more

Investigators combing mine [Sudbury Vale mining death] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 31, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The Ministry of Labour has issued two requirements of Vale Ltd. after the death of a 16-year employee early Sunday afternoon at the 4,215-foot level at Coleman Mine in Levack.

The first requirement is “don’t disturb the scene,” said ministry spokesman Matt Blajer. The ministry has also asked for a number of documents, such as training records and equipment information. Two ministry inspectors responded Sunday after the fatality was reported. Monday, they called in a ministry ground control engineer to help.

Blajer said the ministry was told the miner was “loading the face of the rock with explosives from a man basket when the incident occurred.” Blajer identified the area as the 4215 Level West T1 Cut 5.

The ministry is also asking Vale for its plans for the development of the heading at 36 West T1 Cut 5, he said.

Read more

Vale miner killed at [Sudbury] Coleman Mine – by Laura Stricker (Sudbury Star – January 30, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has confirmed that an employee was killed by falling rock at Coleman Mine on Sunday.

“Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4,215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading,” the company said in a release.

“The employee was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities.”  Vale said the immediate family has been notified, but the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process.

The employee was 47 and had worked at the company for 16 years.

Read more

4 Vale mine deaths in 7 months anger union leader – CBC News (CBC.ca – January 30, 2012)

This article came from the CBC News website: http://www.cbc.ca/news/

Sudbury-area fatality the 4th this year at Vale mines

The president of the Steelworkers union local in Sudbury is calling Sunday’s mining fatality “unacceptable.” A 47-year-old man was killed Sunday afternoon while working at Vale’s Coleman Mine in Levack, Ont., northwest of Sudbury.

“It’s a really difficult … I’m very angry,” Rick Bertand said. “And the reason for that is … four fatalities in seven months is unacceptable — three in Sudbury, one in Thompson [Man.].” Ministry of Labour investigators are on the scene.

“All we know at this time is a worker was loading the face of the rock with explosives, from a man-basket, when the incident occurred,” said ministry spokesman Matt Blajer.

The ministry has issued two requirements to Vale: that it not disturb the area and any equipment until it’s released by one of the ministry inspectors and to release a number of documents related to training and equipment. Bertand said a plan needs to be forged when it comes to health and safety at Vale mines.

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: VALE MINE EMPLOYEE FATALLY INJURED

SUDBURY, January 29, 2012 – Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading.  The employee was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities.

The immediate family has been notified, however, the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process.

The employee was 47 years old and had 16 years experience working with the Company.

“We are saddened and devastated by the loss of this employee,” said Kelly Strong, Vice President Mining & Milling (North Atlantic Operations) and General Manager, Ontario Operations.

Read more

Vale worker at Coleman Mine killed Sunday – UPDATED (Sudbury Star – January 30, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Vale has confirmed that an employee was killed Sunday by falling rock at Coleman Mine.

“Vale regretfully announces that an employee was fatally injured this afternoon while working underground in the main ore body at the 4215-foot level of the company’s Coleman Mine in Levack due to what appears to be some displacement of material from a development heading,” the company said in a release.

“The employee was found and brought to surface, where he was subsequently pronounced dead by medical authorities.” Vale said the immediate family has been notified, but the name of the employee is being withheld pending completion of the notification process.

The employee was 47 and had 16 years with the company.

Read more

[Sudbury] Steel hall honours union boss – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 27, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

It was almost a first for union boss Leo Gerard. Gerard was apparently blind-sided when it was announced Thursday that the executive and membership of United Steelworkers Local 6500 had named their new hall after the international president of their union.

That news came just before the ribbon was cut at the grand opening of the local’s new headquarters at 66 Brady St.

“I guess it’s almost a first. I’m almost speechless,” said a teary-eyed Gerard when a cloth cover was removed from the plaque reading “Leo W. Gerard Hall,” which hangs over the entrance to the main hall.

The day was a bittersweet one for Gerard, Local 6500 members and residents of the community. They were excited about the transformation of the former grocery store into a state-of-the-art hall and conference centre, but tears were also shed for the Steelworkers’ Hall at 92 Frood Rd. that burned to the ground in September 2008.

Read more

[Sudbury Local 6500] Union probe on Stobie deaths to be made public – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 26, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

United Steelworkers Local 6500 is “dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s” on its report into its investigation into the deaths of two Stobie miners June 8, 2011, and will share its findings soon with members and the public.

Local 6500 president Rick Bertrand said the union is making sure its report is thorough so that “when we walk away, we can say we’re pleased with the investigation (and) we’ve done everything we can.”

Vale Ltd. released the findings of its investigation Tuesday at a news conference. That report didn’t pinpoint exactly how Jason Chenier, 35, and Jordan Fram, 26, were killed about 9:45 p.m., while working at the 3,000-foot level near the No. 7 ore pass at Stobie.

Kelly Strong, vice-president of mining and milling for Vale’s North Atlantic operations, said six factors contributed to the men’s deaths– water manage-m ent, ore mixing, ore pass management, operational controls, roles and responsibilities, and training and awareness.

Read more

Life matters the most [Vale Sudbury mining deaths recommendations] – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – January 25, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A team from Vale Ltd. investigating the June 8, 2011, deaths of Jason Chenier and Jordan Fram at Stobie Mine has made more than 30 recommendations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.

Kelly Strong, Vale’s vice-president of mining and milling operations, said several factors contributed to the deaths of the men.

Chenier, 35, and Fram, 26, were killed about 9:45 p.m. when they were overtaken by 350 tons of muck while working around the No. 7 ore pass at the 3,000-foot level of the mine. Strong offered two scenarios for how the accident might have occurred.

One is that there was a buildup of wet, fine sandy muck above the crash gate on the 3,000 level, which collapsed and drove its way down the ore pass, overtaking the two men. The other is that there was a hang-up of wet, fine sandy muck above coarser material, which unexpectedly let go.

Read more

Vale: Investing in the Future – by Gay Sutton (Business Excellence Magazine – Janauary 23, 2012)

This article is from Business Excellence Magazine

When the world’s second largest diversified mining company Vale acquired the iconic Canadian nickel miner Inco five years ago it was the beginning of the largest investment in Canadian mining in the country’s history, as Cory McPhee explains to Gay Sutton.

Superficially, the icy northern reaches of Canada and the hot arid deserts of Australia have little in common other than the language. Look more closely, and both benefit from enormous mineral resources that account for a significant portion of the national economy and an even greater percentage of their exports. Moreover, some of these resources have been mined for more than a century and a half. In both cases a number of famous mining towns and cities have sprung up – providing services, products, homes and entertainment for those working in some of the world’s least hospitable places.

The city of Sudbury in Ontario is one such place. With long cold winters and brief but warm and humid summers, it began as a simple mining camp in the rich geological region known as the Sudbury Basin. Today Sudbury is a city of some 158,000 people and its economy has diversified to include financial services, business, tourism, healthcare and education. But mining continues to play a significant role. According to figures produced by the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation last year, Vale – which can trace its history back to 1902 when Inco opened its first mine in Sudbury – is still the city’s largest employer. 

Read more

NEWS RELEASE: Vale Contributes to Research Project with Aim to Help Northern Manitoba Youth Education

posted January 16, 2012

BRANDON, MB — Today in Thompson, the President and Vice-Chancellor of Brandon University, Dr. Deborah C. Poff met Lovro Paulic, the General Manager of Vale’s Manitoba Operations to accept the company’s donation of $400,000 in support of the Vital Outcomes Indicators for Community Engagement for Children and Youth (VOICE) project.

Brandon University is supported in this project through a $1 million-dollar peer-reviewed research grant from the Government of Canada, through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Community-University Research Alliances Program (SSHRC CURA). The University College of the North will share in the award and actively participate in the research activities. The project will also include individuals from Frontier School Divisions, Kelsey School Division and the School District of Mystery Lake.  

“This generous donation from Vale will help bring researchers and community-partners closer and make a positive impact in the lives of First Nations and Métis children and youth living in Northern Manitoba,” said Dr. Poff. “We are very grateful for Vale’s interest and financial commitment to this important collaborative venture in research and capacity-building.”   

Read more

[Sudbury] City, mining companies to share costs – by Mike Whitehouse (Sudbury Star – January 13, 2012)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The city of Grater Sudbury is poised to announce a landmark agreement to share the costs of rebuilding a local road with area mining companies.

The deal, which will be introduced to council at its Jan. 24 meeting, will split the cost of improvements to Regional Road 4 in Whitefish between Vale, Quadra FNX and the city. The city’s share of the $20-million project is expected to be about $5 million, Greg Clausen, the city’s general manager of infrastructure, said.

The road, more commonly known as Worthington Road, serves Vale’s Totten Mine and a handful or residential and camp properties. It will also serve Quadra’s Victoria Mine, for which constr uction is expected to begin this year. When completed by 2017, Victoria Mine will employ more than 200 full-time people throughout its 15-to 20-year lifespan.

Read more